Paul Bradshaw explains the importance of networking and networks in online journalism. Networking online is as important as real life interaction. It helps journalists link with people they've never met.

11/09/2011

It is one of those days when you remember where you were. I was sitting at my desk at the Buckinghamshire Advertiser office in Chalfont St Peter. We had just put the latest edition to bed, and were planning the next one, when the editor walked out of his office. I’ll never forget his words:

My wife’s just phoned and said a plane has crashed into one of the World Trade Centre buildings.

It was such a different time. We had no television, no radio and just a dial-up internet connection on one machine in the office. It was jealously guarded by the deputy editor, but he fired it up.

When the editor came out of his office a few minutes later and told us his wife had called to say another plane had flown into the second tower. we knew it was an attack. I grabbed the phone and called Heathrow and kept hitting redial as the deputy editor asked for someone to call. “Already on it,” I said.

Once we established there was no immediate local link we knew we didn’t have to ‘hold the front page’. The one radio we had didn’t work without earphones, so I listened as we worked on. Then the horror hit.

I’ll never forget the terror in the voice of the correspondent, I think we were listening to Radio 4, as they started to describe the first tower falling. I relayed her words and I remember seeing the shocked looks on my colleagues faces. A few minutes later the editor returned, we hadn’t noticed he’d gone. He had a small TV and indoor aerial.

We gathered around the TV when it was set up and saw the second tower go. Again I’ll never forget the editor’s words:

We have just watched thousands of people die, and we’re going to know some of them.

It was a moving memorial. One of Oli’s colleagues spoke about the many friends he had lost that day, his voice breaking with the emotion.

I don’t think they’ve found any trace of Oli. The Bennetts buried an urn of ash from Ground Zero in the churchyard at Penn Street, near their home. Even though I didn’t know Oli, I always think of him and particularly the loving parents he left behind every September 11 and whenever I hear the ELO song Mr Blue Sky which was played at his memorial.

Jonathan Chapman, former director of legal affairs, and Daniel Cloke, former group HR director, News International are first before the culture, media and sport select committee, followed by Colin Myler, former editor, News of the World and Tom Crone, former legal manager, News Group Newspapers. This attempts to reflect the actions and reactions to MPs questions at the committee meeting.

John Whittingdale asks if Chapman was happy with the results of his investigations.Chapman says his brief was to look for voicemail interception but nothing was found in the emails and nothing “to his recollection” that gave him cause for concern.

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Curious to know what percentage of Parliamentary questions to Murdoch execs have been met with “I can’t remember”. #hackgate

Davies checks if Goodman had gone to a tribunal he would not have got more than £60,000.

“You two took the decision not to defend yourselves but to pay off Clive Goodman to the tune of £140,000 plus £13,000 legal costs.”

“What on earth were you doing paying him an extra £140,000 on top of the £90,000 salary.”

Chapman: “It was a stark choice. Tribunal would be several months down the line. Goodman would have been able to make allegations in a public forum. It was a pragmatic and commercial business decision.”

Davies: “Quarter of a million for committing a criminal offence.”

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Chapman: it was a ‘pragmatic choice’ to avoid having stuff ‘raked up’ in a public forum–even though none of the stuff was true!

Full coverage as the culture select committee questions four former News of the World executives including Colin Myler and Tom Crone, plus the Leveson inquiry’s first hearing 10.09am: Media lawyer Mark Stephens is one of the first to arrive at the Leveson Inquiry, reports Josh Halliday from the Royal Courts of Justice Good morning.

This Storify was designed to reflect what went on at the culture, media and sport select committee on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.Internet connection was lost at times, so there may be a few holes, but essentially it shows the reaction from people on Twitter.

This blog by Martin Belam sums up the situation faced by many community managers, many of the people writing comments are not engaging their brains. It’s a very amusing read which will strike a chord with anyone who has been moderating online communities. I have been moderating and banning for 15 years and it never ceases to amaze me what people think is reasonable. I’m also amused when people criticise other people’s spelling and grammar when their own is far from perfect.

Context to the Tweet or be sacked comments from Peter Horrocks and Raju Narisetti. Journalists should tweet but need to understand how it can work to help them, as well as drive traffic to their sites. It’s all about the conversation and interaction.

Former digital content and social media editor for six newspaper websites in West Sussex.
Experienced journalist and sub-editor.
Seeker of knowledge and general internet enthusiast.
My opinions are my own.